Welcome, 77 artists, 40 different points of Attica welcomes you by singing Erotokritos an epic romance written at 1713 by Vitsentzos Kornaros

Monday, April 24, 2017

[Guests attend the Kairos Society Global Summit Welcome Dinner At The Rockefeller Family Estate on April 20, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York.]There's a particular kind of people that get onto helicopters in New York City and fly to the Rockefeller estate about an hour's drive away. There, they attend a 200-person dinner with former heads of state, Admirals, CEOs, media elite and billionaire investors — shmoozing, chatting about business ideas, having a few glasses of wine. The next morning, they wake up and talk about the newest innovations in jet engine technology with some kids from MIT. I will use a word to describe them — a word that has been thrown around with a negative connotation it simply does not deserve. These people are globalists. And last weekend a number of these people — most of them young Silicon Valley types with an entrepreneurial bent — gathered for a meeting of the Kairos Society in New York City and talked about what these people always talk about when they're together: fixing things and making money. But these days, a global and entrepreneurial mindset means so much more than that. We live in a world where the prevailing ideology in the White House is that the richest country in the world is a nation of losers who should be afraid of their own shadows. In the face of challenges, leaders around the world are increasingly telling their people that they can and should retreat. The young entrepreneurs of the Kairos Society reject all that. And beyond the buzz words like "innovation" and "disruption," beyond the energetic speeches about changing the world, and the private discussions about venture capital allocation, there was a far more powerful underlying message at this meeting. The globalists are coming, and whether you like it or not, they're here to help. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT The Kairos Society is a fellowship program for the best and brightest young entrepreneurs in the world. Founded in 2008, the group's co-founders Ryan Bloomer, Alex Fiance, and Ankur Jain have since expanded the program to over 50 countries, and have also opened a venture fund. You must apply to be a part of Kairos, and referrals are ideal. The idea, as Bloomer and his colleagues said over and over again during the three-day affair, is to tackle "the big problems the next generation should be focusing on." Of course, after you've pinpointed the problems you need to find the capital to set about solving them. [CEO and Founder at Me Salva! Miguel Andorffy attends the Kairos Society Global Summit Welcome Dinner At The Rockefeller Family Estate on April 20, 2017 in Tarrytown, New York.]KairosOnce you're in Kairos, you get access to the Kairos Rolodex, which — aside from a bunch of fresh faced, young brains from the Ivy League, Stanford and MIT — also includes a host of global leaders and investors you might run into at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. They attend meetings like this one in New York City to explain the nuances of these problems the young entrepeneurs are turning their attention to. Those problems run the gamut from fake news in media to climate change. Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, for instance, showed up to discuss lowering the cost of healthcare. Later, Papandreou, like everyone else in attendance, clapped at dinner when young Kairos fellow and Brazilian CEO Miguel Andorffy told the story of his education company, Me Salva. Me Salva puts video classes on the internet, and as of now 400,000 classes are being watched a day. Four classes are being watched per second. Andorffy is looking for more capital to expand his business all over the world. Thus, the applause. And thus, the appeal of Kairos. Entrepreneurship is in large part about seizing one's circumstances, but if the market isn't ready to receive your idea (i.e. you can't find enough capital), it doesn't matter how good it is. The point of organizations like Kairos is to move the invisible hand of the market just an inch in another direction. And, in that sense, what people like nationalist White House advisor Steve Bannon say about globalists is true. There are only a few tens of thousands of people on the planet who get to move the hand, even just a little bit. Everyone else just has to deal with the consequences. [Dr. Oz and Andrew Ross Sorkin]Kairos GLOBALIST GARY What would also likely upset Bannon and his ilk about Kairos is that the finest minds in the country are generally set about fixing the entire world's problems, rather than worrying about the concerns of their home nation. Thinking beyond borders is not just encouraged, it's basically a given. On the second day of the conference, at the top of 1 World Trade Center, Kyle Nel, founder & executive director of Lowe’s Innovation Labs, challenged the Kairos kids to do something seemingly simple — make paint healthier and cheaper. "Suggesting that something healthy is going to cost more is an old way of thinking," Nel said. "It's only helping people where they live globally if everyone can afford it... What we [at Lowes] don't have is the materials science. What we don't have is the new thinking." Nel's "new thinking," in addition to maintaining a global rather than national focus, represents moving away from traditional national and global institutions because, after all, the problems Kairos fellows are trying to solve have been left unfixed by "broken, old industries and government" (Jain's words). In that way, and in that way alone, the Kairos kids and the nationalists that have taken hold of global politics are in agreement. Ankur Jain and Marine Le Pen could shake hands and agree that government has failed the people. Even Steve Bannon, who reportedly insults his White House colleague Gary Cohn by calling him "globalist Gary," would likely nod his head if he heard Periscope founder Keyvon Beykpor say the most important thing for entrepeneurs is that they "build stuff." But that's where the similarities end. [Gerard Baker, Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal; Former Prime Minister of Greece George Papandreou; Naveen Jain founder of Viome; and Werner Vogels CTO and President of Amazon]Kairos If you want to fly far out into the future of a Kairos mind then you need look no further than Jain's father, Naveen Jain. An entrepreneur himself, he spoke on a panel with Papandreou and Werner Vogels, CTO & President of Amazon. The elder Jain described a world of entrepeneurs solving problems through private enterprise so successfully that the nation-state becomes irrelevant. Something like that would give the Le Pens, Bannons, and Trumps of the world a migraine. Take away the nation and people like them are also irrelevant; take away the nation and everything they know is gone. PLACES [BenBen check Kairos]Kairos, Getty ImagesIt was fitting that on Saturday, the last day of the conference, Kairos members presented their "Kairos 50" companies (the 50 most promising start-ups in the Society) on the floor of the venerable but almost-useless floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Now that trading has gone from an open-outcry system to the digital world, the place is a glorified TV set. It is a reminder that even the most powerful institutions must bend a knee to the force of technological change. It is a reminder that, no matter what Steve Bannon or Trump or anyone says, there is no going backward in time. Which means the world will continue getting smaller and closer and more interconnected, regardless of hiccups along the way. Kairos' entrepeneurs plan with that in mind. Nationalists would not like that the winner of the $100,000 "Kairos 50" prize (from venture capital firm Draper Associates) was a company called Benben, which seeks to streamline land and property administration in Africa using blockchain technology. They would not like that the $50,000 prize went to Neolight, a company that seeks to revolutionize neonatal care. That company is especially focused on finding ways to prevent infants from dying of hypothermia or suffering from jaundice. These are problems one is more likely to encounter in the developing world than in say, Des Moines, Iowa. In other words, the Kairos kids don't put America first. No one involved with the Society would ever ask them to. No one there thinks that small. NOW WATCH: Congress just voted to allow your internet provider to sell your online history and data — here's how to protect your privacy

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The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. Mr Wang Yi, of the Arab Republic of Egypt, H.E. Mr Sameh Shoukry, of the Hellenic Republic, H.E. Mr Nikos Kotzias, of the Islamic Republic of Iran, H.E. Dr Mohammad Javad Zarif, of the Republic of Iraq, Η.Ε. Μr Ibrahim AL-Eshaiker AL-Jaafari, of the Italian Republic, H.E. Mr Angelino Alfano, the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Peru, H.E. Mr Salvador Alejandro Jorge del Solar and the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Dr Guadalupe Palomeque de la Cruz, Referring to the heritage of the great ancient civilisations of the states they represent and the international resonance of each individual culture,Underlining that, transcending time, the impact of these civilisations is omnipresent and remains actual to this day, decisively influencing the course of humanity, Regarding richness and diversity of cultures as the great heritage of mankind, and as an essential accumulative contribution that continuously enriches the collective human civilisation, both historically and at the present day,Bearing in mind that civilisations throughout the course of humanity have not ceased to interact and communicate, Supporting the Olympic Ideal, the idea of Olympic Truce, as well as sportsmanship and fair play, as means for promoting communication, friendship and mutual understanding, Taking into consideration the rapidly changing and complex challenges that the world is facing, such as terrorism, radicalization, extremism, violence, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and other forms of related intolerance, Strongly advocating friendly relations and continuous dialogue between countries, and the need for international cooperation and understanding as a means to address cultural, social, economic and political challenges, Stressing that each State bears the primary responsibility of providing protection for its cultural heritage, while underlining the positive contribution of international cooperation with the State concerned upon its request and based on its relevant priorities, including through UNESCO and the other relevant United Nations specialised agencies, programmes and funds, Deploring the fact that armed conflicts have become both a serious threat to the integrity of world heritage monuments and the cause of illicit trafficking in cultural property deriving from armed conflict areas, Devoted to prevent and counter any future destruction of archeological sites and cultural heritage in general caused by terrorist acts, Highlighting the need for further cooperation in fighting against and preventing effectively illicit trafficking in cultural property and ensuring their restitution and safe return to their countries of origin, Recalling the relevant UN Security Council and UN General Assembly Resolutions on the protection and safeguard of the cultural heritage and property as well as the relevant Resolutions of the UNESCO General Conference, Reaffirming their strong support for UNESCO’s primary role in promoting the protection and preservation of cultural heritage, Recognizing civilisation and cultural diplomacy as a soft and smart power, and as a major component of international relations, and agreeing that culture can and must be further deployed as an agent of economic growth. They emphasized: The need to enhance the dialogue among civilisations through continuous communication and cooperation, in order to promote understanding, recognition and tolerance between cultures and peoples. The importance of using the dialogue among civilisations as a powerful tool of diplomacy, thus contributing to bridging gaps and enhancing mutual understanding. Advancing the Belt and Road Initiative for international cooperation, among others, will play an important role to promote civilisational dialogues and increase people-to-people bonds. Their will to strengthen cooperation on cultural issues among the participating States, with a view to enhancing the sustainable social and economic growth of each ACF member. They agreed: To establish the Ancient Civilisations Forum (ACForum) with the participation of the following countries: Bolivia, China, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Italy, and Peru, as a platform for dialogue and cultural cooperation among the participating States. The Forum shall be open to future enlargement on a consensual basis. To encourage communication among participating States regarding cultural exchanges and cooperation in all related fields. To conduct dialogue and consultations with a view to reaching coordinated positions where appropriate, on issues of major importance relating to the protection of cultural heritage, within the relevant international organizations, such as UNESCO. To examine the most appropriate ways to enhance the ACForum’s efforts to optimize the use of culture as an effective tool for contemporary diplomacy. To work together, as appropriate, and in coordination with UNESCO, in order to safeguard the historical and cultural heritage of the ACF members, The participating States agreed that a Ministerial Meeting of the ACForum will be organized on an annual basis. The Chairmanship of the annual Ministerial Meeting will rotate among participating States. The next Ministerial Meeting will be held in 2018 in Bolivia. Peru expressed its readiness to host the annual Meeting in 2020 and Iraq in 2021. Athens, April 24, 2017

I thank the President of the Republic, who, through his wisdom, always contributes to the broadening of our thinking.I thank all of the delegations who accepted our invitation, the invitation of China and Greece, to be here today.We live in a time when international relations are developing. Which isn’t to say that the nation state and cultures have any less of a role.But we are in an era dominated by economic and defence policies, and in which we must start to promote the cultural dimension of international relations even more intensely and in a more coordinated manner.The initiative we launched today is linked to the work of the UN and UNESCO and their principles. And for this reason, I hope that we agree to invite these two organizations to the next Forum.We are living in an era of instability. In this era, culture, and ancient civilizations in particular, provide continuity and stability. Through the wisdom they bequeathed to us, they give us criteria for resolving contemporary problems.They facilitate our efforts to formulate plans. Plans through which we will integrate all sides of humanity, gaining greater understanding of difference and looking upon it as wealth. They will prompt us toward more tolerance for difference and, even more so, assimilation of difference.Our civilizations – and this is the good fortune of the 10 states invited to this Forum – are civilizations that are part of our global heritage. They are civilizations that are extension of epochs before globalization even made its appearance.We are starting with the Forum, which, from our initial discussions, we have agreed to continue, to sustain it and move its meetings from city to city, from capital to capital. We are launching this forum in Athens, which is also, in a way, a cultural capital.We know that hard power dominates in the contemporary world. But, in the end, and this is my opinion, those who speak the language of soft power win. Those who are convincing, who are a model based on principles and values, and who have vision. In other words, those who have culture.Culture in both senses. 'Civilization', as a way of life, as the creation of forms of existence, and 'culture', as a creative, reproductive and motivating factor of forms and structures of life.In the history of humankind, there were various civilizations. Many died out, others were absorbed by third civilizations, and a number endured through time and play and important role even today.There were ancient civilizations that produced great tangible and intangible works, whose messages and intellectual and material accomplishments survive and, in a sense, are relevant to this day.It is wonderful, I confess, for one to go to work in the morning and see the Acropolis and remember and reflect on what is the quintessence of tragedy, the ancient Greek theatre, Pnyx, the assembly of the Demos, democracy. All of these principles and values that are also mothers of modernity.But we have to say and confess that Greek civilization would not have survived without the Roman Empire, that mother of multi-ethnic political entities that spread the rights, the notion of the citizen and of administration throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.And Greek civilization may not have survived in the way that it did if it had not been carried on by the intellectuals of the Arab world. A world that, in the regions where it developed, produced great civilizations. In Babylon, Mesopotamia, Egypt. And next to them they had the great civilization of ancient Iran, for which those of us who still play chess today have a weakness.So, to this world, to these regions we owe the art of administration, intellectual games like chess. The viewing of the heavens as the present and future of humanity.We owe them wonderful cities, like the cities of Iran, as well as the great Pyramids of Egypt. In a sense, we also had pyramids on the other side of the world, in Central and Latin America. On a side of the world that has the great spiritual civilizations of Peru, Bolivia and Mexico – the great civilizations of Central and Latin America.It was they who, on the other side of the world, sought harmony with the heavens. If Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley civilization, Greece and Rome are the great line of western civilization, together with the indigenous peoples of America, the other line, equally great, with tremendous achievements, was the great Chinese civilization of magnificent discoveries. From paper and printing to the compass, porcelain and, above all, the very structure of state existence.And next to this civilization there was another great civilization that honoured us – Greek civilization. A civilization that synthesized many different cultures and produced the Indus civilization of enduring and multicoloured manifestations. The anthropomorphic Gods, as in Ancient Greece, and the great mathematicians who discovered zero and the negative numbers.All of these civilizations present here today, and of which I noted just a few characteristics, great and small to different degrees, contributed to the shaping of the contemporary world.They developed across a region that is by no means negligible. Forty percent of the world's population lives in this region. These civilizations represented here today are very much alive. They continue to exist both autonomously and as a presence incorporated into contemporary world culture.They exist in letters, in the arts, in technology and in political culture. They all contain harmony with the heavens, the right to resist, new ways of organization, and all of them – and this is an element they all have in common, you will allow me to say as a scholar – pose equally central questions, from Confucius and the Taoists to Socrates and Aristotle. From the great poets of Iran and India, the great poems, to the spiritual world of Central and Latin America.From the Sun God scholars of Egypt, to Bolivia and Peru. From the great Roman tradition of political philosophy, we have the same universal questions, which are alive today.What did our forebears ask six or seven or three thousand years ago? They asked: What is life? What is the purpose of a human being's life? What is humankind's relationship with nature? What is the relationship between the individual and society? And what is the relationship between the citizen and power?There is no contemporary philosophical, sociological or anthropological current that does not pose these questions, which were posed thousands of years ago by our civilizations. Our civilizations were and are great. But they do not belong to us. They belong to all humanity.So, our civilizations are relevant, and this is the first point. The second is that, for us, culture is power, soft power. Just as effective, in our opinion, as military might or economic hegemony. Because culture wins people's hearts and minds.But even at the hard core of politics itself, we need what we call a political culture. That is, we need tolerance for others. Respect for their opinions and existence. We need – and many countries have forgotten this – a culture of consensus and compromise. Frankness and fortitude. Resistance and the ability to fight for rights and justice.So culture helps develop relations founded on principles and values. It brings what is different closer. And, in fact, it doesn't just bring it closer, but considers it wealth and not something hostile.And there is its third side. Culture is also a global economic power today, because every culture produces particular goods, reproducing and disseminating them.Today, culture and what we call the "culture industry" even create jobs. Shall we consider research and education? Modern design? Tourism associated with cultural accomplishments?All three of these elements of culture – its relevance, its economic power, its ability to connect and stabilise the world in an unstable era – are also associated with the new capabilities brought by what is called the 4th industrial revolution, the 2nd machine age.It is associated – and we, as a forum must associate it – with utilization of the internet, with the development of mobile phone applications, like tours of ancient monuments, tours of our cities, which have great cultural heritages. And with the reproduction of souvenirs in three-dimensional forms, by the new 3-D printers.We can jointly develop everything from video games to films. All of these new technologies enable us to collaborate and promote common values and principles. We can also develop our intercultural relations. Networks of monuments and cities.My dear President, dear friends, whom I thank once again for coming to Athens, we worked for over a year and a half – two years, I would say – on an idea that has existed since the 1990s, for us to get here today.The main issue regarding this forum, from our perspective, is that it is an element of a specific perception we have of international relations. It is an element of a positive agenda, because very often – with the current conflicts, wars and civil strife – negativity and difficulty dominate the international agenda. We have to develop a positive agenda: that of the cooperation of our cultures within the framework of multiple collaborations in all sectors.Today, on the initiative of Greece and the People's Republic of China, we convened with the aim of formulating a kind of cooperation – not in a legal way, of course – a union of states with great cultures that play an important role to this day.We are cradles and stewards of civilizations with thousands of years of history. We are cultures that, in the best way, helped shape our world today.We want to work together for a common good, for common prosperity, not to separate ourselves from others, but to make the message broadcast by culture even stronger.And our joint invitation to you – with my friend the Chinese foreign Minister, Wang Yi – was no coincidence. We have a peculiar historical relationship with China; a relationship founded on mutual respect and on understanding of the world we live in. And we have the common question: how can we capitalize on the elements of our cultures in a way that is beneficial and productive for all of us and for humanity?We are – and we have to consider this – the successors of a spirit thousands of years old, at the epicentre of which is the notion of the human being. If we find what unifies us and we perceive it, we will have taken an important step for promoting peace and cooperation in the world.We all know that our countries are visited by tens of millions of people. This year alone, 30 million tourists will come to Greece. Tourists who look with great respect – sometimes with greater respect than those of us who live in these countries – upon the accomplishments of our civilizations.And we all see that the human intellect produced great works, leading us to the question: How did they achieve this without the technologies we have at our disposal today?I think they achieved it because the human mind and its capabilities know no bounds. We can always surpass the boundaries holding us in. This culture has nothing to do with the colour of one's skin, with social or national origin.But it does have to do with a simple element: the magnificence of human life. Wherever the human heart beats, the mind produces, or should produce, culture. And it is in our hands and in the hands of every human being to produce positive culture, a positive agenda in international relations. To use the power of our minds for good, peace and progress.The cooperation of these civilizations – as depicted by our constellation – shows that we can and must join or cultural heritages and contribute, however slightly, to a better humanity.Through our forum, we are being called upon to glorify the past in order to create a positive future.Finally, I feel the need, beyond thanking my friend, my good friend, the President of the Republic and all of you – many of who are old friends of mine – to thank all of the personnel and collaborators at our Foreign Ministry and at the Foreign Ministries of all of the states that worked for our success and gladly accepted our invitation to be here.And naturally I want to thank all of our associates at the Greek Foreign Ministry, who, in the midst of the difficulties our country is having, managed to organize today's forum, showing that even a country in a deep crisis can capitalise on culture and civilizations to emerge from that crisis.Because I often point out that culture says the inexpressible, that certain something paradoxical, strange. How is it that culture can say something inexpressible? It can say it because it says it in a different way. It says it implicitly, through a poem, a sculpture, a painting.And because culture can enable us to escape from fears, concerns, insecurity. It can give us stability, it can give us optimism, and it can give us courage.Culture is a great plunge into the wounds of humanity, and it extracts whatever gold there is from these wounds, making us richer.I hope we continue like this, creatively, with our culture. I thank my old and new friends very much for this meeting, and I hope this forum continues with our presence, or with the presence, in the future, of new Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Ministers of Culture and our associates.I thank you all very much.

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N. KOTZIAS: A good Sunday to all of you! It is a great pleasure to have the Foreign Minister of China and my friend Wang Yi here with us at the Foreign Ministry, and I welcome him. China is a trusted and firm friend of Greece. The visit and our bilateral meeting are taking place on the occasion of the Ancient Civilizations Forum, which starts today with a cultural event and with the scientific Conference, and will continue tomorrow with the Ministers' consultations. And we are also pleased to have our friend the Minister here with us because this year, 2017, is the year of cultural exchanges between Greece and China. Our culture and our relations are based on soft power; on the fact we are two countries who shaped the cultures of our regions. For thousands of years, China was the centre of the world in Southeast Asia and throughout Asia, and influenced the world. Greece was the Acropolis of the western world, and in particular of European civilization. This year mark's 45 years of Greek-Chinese diplomatic relations and the 11th year since a strategic partnership was formed between us. We all remember the great work of Nikos Kazantzakis on China, his travel memoires, and we know, traditionally, how much the Greeks appreciated and admired Chinese culture and the China that endured through the millennia. Today we have strategic cooperation that is also expressed in the support Greece gives – small in size, but significant – to the 'One Belt, One Road' policy, which is a policy that expresses what the Chinese President dubbed the 'Chinese dream'. China is today a country that is not just on the rise, but that, through plans such as this, shows that it has a vision and strategic outlook for a world of stability and peace, which is also what Greece wants. We talked in particular about our cultural, educational and economic relations, about the importance of the sea and the sea road in the 'One Belt, One Road' plan, which is expressed through shipping, trade and tourism. We have made joint efforts to stabilise our region and the world. As my friend the Minister also said, what characterizes Greek-Chinese relations is stability in an uncertain world. We talked about the importance of the Port of Piraeus and the Cosco investments. The educational and research cooperation we have. We discussed the need for the European Union to develop its relations with China as well. I talked about and explained to him Greece's view of the region's problems and the actions Greece is taking as a state and country of stability. Once again, I want to thank my friend the Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi, for accepting my invitation. I want to thank him for the fact that we co-signed the invitations for something that will begin this evening. You all know of my weakness for Chinese history, as I taught Chinese foreign policy for 30 years, and of course, as a professor, as well, it is a great pleasure for me to have here the Foreign Ministry of a country whose foreign policy I taught. And I must say that our relations are even better now than when I was teaching about them. Welcome and thank you, my good friend Wang Yi. WANG YI: I am very pleased to be visiting Greece at the invitation of my old friend, the Foreign Minister of Greece, Nikos Kotzias, so that we can jointly inaugurate the 1st Conference of the Ancient Civilizations Forum. I agree completely with the Greek Minister's assessment and presentation of our bilateral relations and of the results of our talks. This year is the 45th anniversary of the establishment of Chinese-Greek diplomatic relations, and with the dynamic support of all of the sectors of the two countries' societies, our bilateral relations have always developed smoothly and steadily, and they continue to do so. We are satisfied at the current level of our relations. Greece was one of the first European Union countries to conclude a strategic partnership agreement with China, and it is one of China's most trusted partners in the European Union. The two sides have always supported one another on issues bearing on each other's fundamental interests and priorities. This is a very solid foundation for the further development of our bilateral relations and a very good tradition as regards the ties between the two countries. During our meeting today, we confirmed that we will continue this tradition. As two ancient civilizations, China and Greece always appreciate, support and assist one another, and I can say that the friendship between the two countries has had a firm foundation and popular ties for many years now. Additionally, as trade partners we always bear in mind the principle of mutually beneficial cooperation, and we promote the further development of cooperation between the two countries in all sectors. Moreover, the Cosco project at the Port of Piraeus, as the Greek Minister said earlier, is a true example of the success of our mutually beneficial cooperation. We believe that this cooperation and the success of this project will contribute to the recovery of the Greek economy – help the Greek economy overcome the problems and, at the same time, send a dynamic and positive message to the world, as it shows the strength of Chinese enterprises and the desire of Greece's Chinese friends to strengthen our friendship and cooperation. Our bilateral cooperation really has extended into all sectors. It is multifaceted, and we agreed to cooperate even more closely. We are willing to deepen our cooperation in the sectors of infrastructure, energy – including alternative forms of energy – science and technology, agriculture, maritime transport and shipbuilding, and in many other sectors. I would like to refer to cooperation in the tourism sector. As the whole world agrees, Greece represents a very ancient and rich culture, and I think you have good reason to be proud of this. While more Chinese tourists come to visit Greece every year, we observed that only 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Greece last year. So we think we can further increase this number. I learned that some 3 million Chinese visited Italy last year, but Roman civilization had origins in Greece. So I think that if only half this number can come to Greece – 1.5 million Chinese tourists, that is – it will be ten times the number of Chinese tourists who visited Greece last year. I believe that day is not far off. In short, we will continue to make efforts to develop our bilateral relations. We hope that the steady development of Chinese-Greek relations will be able to help us confront the uncertainty in today's world, and that the wisdom of our two countries' ancient civilizations will give us the strength to deal with the problems of today. We believe that the further deepening of our bilateral relations will promote the true friendship between the two countries, despite their differences in size, population and social systems. In spite of these differences, our bilateral relations can become a model of mutually beneficial cooperation and sincere friendship. Thank you.JOURNALIST: I am a journalist with the Chinese news agency Xinhua, and I have a question for the Greek Minister, Mr. Kotzias. I know that tomorrow we have the Ancient Civilizations Forum and that from 13 to 15 May we will be having the 'One Belt, One Road' Forum, and I would like to know how Greece will contribute to the two Forums, now and in the future. N. KOTZIAS: Both plans – what we will be doing tomorrow for the Ancient Civilizations Forum and the 'One Belt, One Road' – come from older times, "from afar," as we say in Greece. And they show that the great ancient civilizations are still alive today and that cultures link people and are also economically productive. I would say that tomorrow's Forum is part of this road. Tomorrow we have the Foreign Minister of China and of other countries. On 14 and 15 May, in Beijing, the Greek delegation will be headed by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whom I will be accompanying, of course. I hope and believe that tomorrow's discussion will show that the ancient civilizations are alive in contemporary reality and help us with their wisdom. That these civilizations are forms of soft power and can be part of the special industry that we call the 'culture industry'. On the other hand, the 'One Belt, One Road' plan is a road that has existed for centuries, if not millennia. I imagine that, tomorrow, our friend the Foreign Minister of Italy will remind us of the Venetian traders who used the Silk Route. Today this route is both a land route and a maritime route. On this maritime route, we have the honour of being the gateway to Europe. I also want to say that, to me, this great Chinese plan has a visionary element. It isn't just a material plan. It isn't just investments, trains, roads. It is also, at the same time, the desire to link our worlds and our cultures even more closely together. So my colleague Foreign Minster Wang Yi and I are two fortunate people who will be launching the Ancient Civilizations Forum tomorrow and then meeting again, in Beijing, for the other major event that is being hosted by the Chinese government.JOURNALIST: A question for Minister Wang Yi. I want to ask whether the North Korea issue is a potential threat to the region's stability, or whether it is – and whether you are treating it as such – an opportunity for closer cooperation with the United States, to the benefit of peace and economic development in Southeast Asia. And if the latter is the case, whether you think there are forces that would want to undermine such cooperation. Thank you very much. WANG YI: First of all, I would like to add a few words regarding the question the Greek Minister just answered. I would like to thank the Greek government – Prime Minister Tsipras and Foreign Minister Kotzias – warmly for their dynamic support and positive participation regarding the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative. The 'One Belt, One Road' initiative is in the spirit of the Ancient Silk Road, which is a spirit of peace and cooperation that will contribute to the further development of relations among all countries, through the joint implementation of the 'One Belt, One Road' plan, so that we can achieve the common growth and prosperity of all states. We believe that Greece will certainly become an important partner in the process of implementing the 'One Belt, One Road' plan, and I believe that the Ancient Civilizations Forum, which will be inaugurated tomorrow, is in the same spirit. We hope that the discussion we have and the results achieved at the Ancient Civilizations Forum will impart fresh momentum to the 'One Belt, One Road' initiative. Regarding the matter of North Korea, I would like to reiterate China's firm and stable stance, which is that we insist on the denuclearization of the peninsula and we want to safeguard the region's stability, as peace, the way of peace, is the only solution. Although China is not at the centre of the controversies or disagreements that exist right now – as the key to the solution of the peninsula's nuclear problem is not in the Chinese side's hands – through a responsible stance on the peace and stability of the region of the peninsula, China has made and will continue to make efforts to reopen the peace talks between the involved sides. Lately, we have made fair and constructive proposals that have met with ever greater understanding and support from more and more countries. If other sides have other proposals, we ask to hear them. Lately, there have been a number of protests, clashes and 'words' regarding this issue, and we very much need the voices of peace and reason. China will not be easily influenced by various 'voices', and we will not abandon our duty. The Chinese side will continue to maintain contact and dialogue with all sides, playing a constructive role in the solution of the peninsula's nuclear issue. This issue is also of great interest to Chinese journalists, and I take this opportunity to respond to them as well. Thank you.

All passenger ferries will remain docked across Greece on Monday, May 1, as the Pan-Hellenic Seamen’s Federation (PNO) will go on a 24-hour strike to mark May Day. Among claims, the Greek seamen are demanding that their labor and social security rights are restored to pre-memorandum levels and that collective labor agreements will be in … The post No ferries on May 1st 2017 as Greek sailors on 24h strike appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

A migrant boat sinking in the eastern Aegean between Greece and Turkey left at least 16 people dead, including two children, Greek authorities said Monday, while two people were rescued. Patrol boats and helicopters were searching for several more people believed missing. Greece’s coast guard said the bodies of nine people — six women, two men and a child — had been recovered from Greek waters off the island of Lesbos, while Turkish authorities found the bodies of a further...

Tehran, April 24, IRNA – Participating foreign ministers in 10 ancient civilizations forum in Athens in their final declaration on Monday decided to establish Ancient Civilization Assembly as a ground for dialogue and cultural cooperation between the ...

… refugees and migrants sank off Greece's Lesbos island, officials … in Greek territory and another seven in Turkish waters, a Greek coastguard … in Greece in 2016. The number of refugees and migrants in Greece …

ATHENS—Greece’s state privatization fund said Monday that a German-led consortium was declared the preferred bidder for the acquisition of a majority stake in the country’s second-largest port by containers. German private-equity firm Deutsche Invest ...

ATHENS – An Athens prosecutor ordered an investigation into the presence of a cargo container in the capital’s central Exarchia Square, which members of anarchist […] The post Greek Prosecutor Calls Probe Over Anarchist Political Kiosk appeared first on The National Herald.

PIRAEUS, Greece (ANA) – Ships throughout the country will remain docked on Monday 1 May to participate in the 24-hour strike for Labour Day declared […] The post Ships Throughout Greece to Remain Docked on May 1 appeared first on The National Herald.

By Steve Frangos While entertainment forms may seem secondary (if even that) to the formation of American notions of persons and things said to Greek, […] The post Greek-American Magicians: 1850 to 1906 appeared first on The National Herald.

A migrant boat sinking in the eastern Aegean between Greece and Turkey left at least 16 people dead, including two children, Greek authorities said Monday, while two people were rescued. Patrol boats and helicopters were searching for several more people ...

Shares surge across Europe as investors welcome the prospect of Emmanuel Macron becoming France’s next president * Latest: French stock market jumps to nine-year high * Investec: Why Macron is likely to be next president * ABN Amro: Macron could struggle to get reforms through * Euro spikes to $1.09 after French election * French bonds are rallying too * Live reaction: France wakes up to new political landscape * French election: Macron to face Le Pen after first round 4.38pm BST The prospect of Emmanuel Macron becoming France’s next president has prompted the Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras to call the centrist politician following his first-round win. Helena Smith writes: The congratulatory message from Tsipras not only underscored the strong alliance between Greece and France, but also how much store Athens sets on Paris’ long-standing support in economic matters. Throughout the seven-year debt crisis, Greece has frequently depended on France’s backing in often fraught negotiations with creditors, not least Berlin. After weeks of tense talks over the country’s latest bailout review, monitors representing lender institutions will return to Athens to resume inspections tomorrow, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas announced today. The aim was to reach an agreement “as soon as possible,” he said, in comments reflecting Europe’s desire to avert another Greek crisis in the run-up to Germany also going to the polls. The inspection tour, which is expected to be wrapped up within weeks, will focus on the “technical details” of implementing €3.6bn worth of further pension cuts and tax hikes, the latter enforced though broad expansion of the tax base. Highlighting the extraordinary fiscal adjustment Greece has made, Schinas said the EU statistics agency, Eurostat, had confirmed that in 2016 the country’s primary budget surplus far exceeded expectations coming in at 3.9% of GDP (excluding debt servicing costs). The spokesman said the Commission was confident Greece could meet its budget targets in 2017 and 2018. 3.50pm BST A couple of manufacturing surveys from the US are showing a slight dip in performance. The Dallas Fed manufacturing activity index dipped from 16.9 in March to 16.8 this month, below expectations of a rise to 17. Continue reading...

Athens on April 7 accepted in principle a tough set of new reform and tax measures in return for fresh cash to avert a possible debt default in July. Greece's EU-IMF creditors are returning to Athens on Monday to seek a deal to break the months-long ...

Richard Maher, _European University Institute_ The results of one of the most divisive and unpredictable presidential contests in recent French history, which saw early frontrunner, the conservative François Fillon, laid low by a corruption scandal and judicial investigation; a late surge by Jean-Luc Mélenchon the far-left firebrand who wants to take France out of the European Union and NATO; and the Socialist Party candidate Benoît Hamon come in a distant fifth place, are now in. [The Conversation] Centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right Marine Le Pen will face off on May 7 in the second round of voting to determine who will be the next French president. This is the first time since the Fifth Republic was established in 1958 that the top two from the first voting round do not belong to one of France’s two mainstream parties. Le Pen leads the far-right National Front, which has historically been on the fringe of French electoral politics, while Macron is running as an independent. TWO DIFFERENT VISIONS FOR EUROPE The outcome of the run-off could have historic and far-reaching implications for France, Europe, and the EU. A Le Pen victory would mark the first time the extreme right has held power in France since the 1940s. Macron, who quickly advanced through the Socialist Party hierarchy before leaving it to start his own political movement last year, has never held elective office. The candidates offer two totally different visions for France’s future and its relationship to Europe. Le Pen has called the EU a “chimera” and a “anti-democratic oligarchy” and has promised a referendum on France’s EU membership within six months of taking office. After last year’s Brexit vote, a Le Pen victory would signal that European voters are rebelling against the EU in a historic way. Macron, on the other hand, embraces European integration and wants to deepen France’s partnership with Germany to lead Europe. His victory could lead to a rejuvenation of the EU at a time when the bloc faces a period of unprecedented and historic crises. Beyond Europe, a Le Pen victory could threaten the post-second world war transatlantic alliance. Le Pen is a fierce critic of NATO and the US role in Europe. She would likely seek to align France more closely with Russia, precisely at a time when relations between Moscow and the West have deteriorated to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War. She has called the sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014 “completely stupid,” and has suggested that she might recognise Russia’s seizure of the peninsula. The most immediate impact of a Le Pen victory would likely be felt in the financial markets. Stock markets around the world would react strongly. Anticipating a possible French exit from the Eurozone, investors would sell off the country’s debt. Fears of capital controls and devaluation could lead to bank runs in France. Markets could even start to anticipate the collapse of the entire Eurozone, leading to serious economic, social, and even political disruption and destabilisation. A LE PEN VICTORY IS STILL POSSIBLE Current polls show Macron easily beating Le Pen in the second round of voting. While many experts continue to dismiss the possibility of a Le Pen victory in next month’s runoff, few would go so far as to say that it is completely unimaginable. The central question is whether a “Republican front” will emerge to block Le Pen, as happened in 2002 when her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, faced Jacques Chirac in the second round of presidential voting. Left-leaning voters helped deliver a decisive victory for Chirac. But if first-round supporters of François Fillon, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, socialist Benoît Hamon, or the lesser candidates do not come out for Macron – many of them see him as just a continuation of the dreadful Hollande government – Le Pen could have a chance. Her supporters tend to be more motivated and more likely to come out in strong numbers to vote. A Le Pen victory would thus be a tragedy for those who believe in the idea and reality of a united Europe. Its economic and political integration was a French initiative, spearheaded after the second world war by visionary French statesmen, such as Robert Schuman and Jean Monnet. Three generations of French and other European leaders devoted their careers to building a united and peaceful Europe. And until recently, most French leaders saw their country’s future as inextricably tied to the EU. AMBIVALENCE TOWARD EUROPEAN INTEGRATION But when given an opportunity to express their voice, French voters have been ambivalent towards greater European integration. In a 2005 referendum, 55% of them said no to the adoption of a so-called EU constitution. In 1992, French voters approved the Maastricht Treaty, which transferred more powers to EU institutions in Brussels, by the narrowest of margins, 51% for and 49% against. And today, after some 20 years of economic stagnation, France has less influence in the EU than it has had in decades. The EU has always been led by a Franco-German tandem, but the power balance today has shifted decisively toward Berlin. On issues ranging from Greek bailouts, the refugee crisis, or containing Russian aggression, Germany increasingly calls the shots. Still, the majority of French voters want to remain in the Eurozone and the EU. According to a recent poll, 72% want to keep the euro. And while a Pew Research Center poll last year found that 60% of French respondents hold an unfavourable view of the EU, more French citizens want to stay in the EU than to leave it. Next month’s run-off then is a critical juncture for the future of France and the EU. Facing the effects of an unprecedented migration crisis, the rise of right-wing populism, Brexit negotiations, and nearly a decade of economic austerity, the EU is already embattled. A Le Pen victory could signal the end of the project. The stakes could scarcely be higher. Richard Maher, Research Fellow, Global Governance Programme, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, _European University Institute_ This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

ATHENS--The European Union's statistics arm verified Monday that Greece posted its first overall budget surplus in 21 years, with debt repayments included, in 2016. Eurostat expressed no reservations about the quality of data provided by the Greek national ...

A distinctive approach to Sophocles’ play “Antigone” was presented by the Pancyprian Association of America Cultural Division under the direction of Leonidas Loizides on Sunday April 9. The play was held at the Queens Theater in Flushing Meadows Park ...

My love affair with Mediterranean-style chicken and potatoes began with the Sorrento Lemon Chicken from Gio's Chicken Amalfitano in Atlanta. This juicy baked chicken has golden, crisp skin and is served with herbed potatoes bathed in a luscious lemony broth.

A play involving fake weapons and scenes of death staged by kindergarten children in the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri has drawn criticism from the authorities and experts. The play, staged to mark National Sovereignty and Children’s Day on April 23, showed children clashing with each other using fake weapons and one of them falling … The post Turkish kindergarten children stage July coup play with fake weapons and death appeared first on Keep Talking Greece.

At least 16 people, including two children, have drowned when an inflatable boat sank in the eastern Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey, according to Greek authorities. Greece's coastguard said on Monday the bodies of nine people - six women, two men and ...